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The Ones Who Remain/Issue 9
This is issue 9 of The Ones Who Remain, entitled: Riot. Issue 9; Riot Everything happens to fast for Johnson, or any of the other Echo guards, to gain control of the situation. Johnson's killing of Freddy just moments before turned the prison into a madhouse...the prisoner's were rioting. Something from Freddy's death ignited a fuse in them and they were taking it out on the Echo guards. As some of the prisoners threw chairs up at the guards, a man, dark-skin, light blue eyes, broke a piece of wood off of the table, and chucked it at the window, shattering the glass. Johnson tried to hold his ground amongst the other Echo guards, trying to look as stern and stoic as possible. But, as they yelling became louder, and as one of the older guards is hit in the head by a piece of wood, some of Johnson's men's facades started to slip, and started to inch away from the chaos. During the chaos, the misty-eyes Caitlyn, who just before couldn't stop staring at Freddy's limp body, now has a course of action. She quickly takes Freddy's body by the ankle, and with all her might, yanks him off of Mike's unconscious body. When Freddy's corpse is completely off of Mike, the 'shaky' prisoner, along with another young female prisoner who were in the midst of fleeing from the chaos, stop by Caitlyn & Mike, helping Mike up on their way out, before fleeing, Caitlyn close behind them. As the large swarm of prisoners continue throwing chairs, wood, whatever they can find at the stoic Johnson and his team, who are quivering, unsure what to do. Behind Johnson's stoic expression though, his mind was racing. He needed to find a way to re-gain control of this situation...and he knew the perfect way. Lifting his pistol toward the crowd of rioting prisoners, he looks around at his team, who slowly follow his lead. He lifts up his hand, knowing he won't be able to yell louder than the prisoners. Then, one by one, he put his fingers down, and the Echo guards readied their weapons, fingers resting on the trigger. As his last finger went down, a wall of bullets flew toward the rioting prisoners. Now in one of the cells, the 'shaky' prisoner lies Mike onto the bed, as the young brunette prisoner shut the cell bars closed. Caitlyn's mother-like instincts kick in and instantly starts checking up on Mike's wounds, as the two other prisoners watch intently down the hall for...anything. "What the hell was that?" the 'shaky' prisoner asked. The brunette scoffed. "Those dumbasses should've known this was coming. Freddy--everyone loved Freddy. Those fuckers are gonna pay for that." "We should be out there." "No," Caitlyn quickly said, interrupting the two, but never taking her eyes off of Mike. "Stacey, please help me here--get me a shirt or some water or something." Stacey, the brunette, nodded and quickly hurried off. "What happened to him?" the 'shaky' prisoner asked, making his way over toward the two. "He's soaking wet--bruised, mostly his head, probably from that water torture..." He sighed. "Yeah, I know what it is." Another round of gunshots are heard in the distance as Stacey returns with a bottle of water, along with a roll of duct tape, which she passed to the 'shaky' prisoner, who handed them to Caitlyn. "Thank you." Caitlyn said, not once taking her eyes off of Mike. "Scott, Stacey, can you guys just keep a lookout for now please? I'll let you know if I need something." Both the 'shaky' prisoner, Scott, and Stacey both gave each other wary looks, but nonetheless complied, and quickly peered out of the cell into the empty hallway...the only sight coming from a couple more fleeing prisoners. ---- Adrianna walked side-by-side with Jared through the city of Jacksonville...or what was left of it. The wildlife started to take over, infesting the large buildings and stores alike, and only a few people walked the streets this early in the morning, both sporting assault rifles. "How the hell does this work?" Nikki asked from behind them, still leaning on Cal's shoulder. "How do these people survive with, like, no support?" "We aren't there yet." Jared quickly said. "In the heart of the city is where everybody is--these people you see now? These guys are just scouts." "Tell me about this guy you're meeting." Cal finally said. It's been on his mind for an eternity, and, for some reason, Jared refused to tell them. "Why are we going all the way out here for him?" "He's the only one with the firepower--the people--the will to help us." "How is this gonna work then?" Adrianna piped up, looking at the other three. "I'm guessing you do the talking and what do we do?" "You can stand there and look pretty--you seem to do a good job at that." Jared said, forcing a smile at her. "Cal, I just need you to make sure Nikki doesn't do anything stupid while we're there." "What the fuc--" Nikki started, but is quickly cut off by Cal, who put his hand over her mouth. "I can handle that." he said, smiling, before removing his hand from Nikki's mouth. Instead of arguing, like she wants to do, she just rolls her eyes, leaning her head back on his shoulder. "Good. And remember, keep an eye on your shit. These people are all thieves--killers. Don't trust anybody." Jared said, stopping in his tracks, making sure that Nikki and Cal were paying attention. "We're not kids...we know how this works." Nikki muttered. She hated being treated like a child--but, truth be told, she was scared. This is the first time she's been out of the safety of Livingston--she wasn't sure what to expect, but, from what Jared keeps saying, it ain't gonna be good. "Cheer up, kiddo. We'll be in and out before you know it." "We better..." ---- In the heart of Jacksonville, the view was vastly different from the outskirts. Vegetation hasn't taken over the buildings, although it isn't completely gone, the glass windows were shattered, the streets are a dark black, stained with dark red blood at almost every turn. The streets were crowded with people. Most people sported machete's or knives, while the only ones who were spotted carrying guns seemed to be part of some faction, wearing a black and white uniform. The people mostly kept to themselves, aside from a few children playing tag and a couple of drunks fighting over a bottle of whiskey. It truly was a sad sight. Jared led Nikki, Cal, & Adrianna through the streets, pushing his way past the busy survivors, who almost payed no attention to the group of four. Nikki, still being assisted across by Cal, looks around at the people in the streets--people whom Jared said are killers, thieves, and what-not. It doesn't take long for her to notice the amount of people staring at her and her group, after all, they are outsiders. "Stop making eye contact." Cal said under his breath, taking Nikki out of her thoughts, to which she quickly looked back at him. "Last thing we need is for a couple of drunks to attack us cause they thought you were challenging them." "Sorry." she quickly said in a hushed tone. "Just don't think about it--if anything goes down I'm right here, okay?" Nikki quickly nodded her head, took a deep breath, and decided not to take her eyes off of Cal--doing anything to keep her mind off of the current situation. ---- Davie and Johnson walked across the catwalk in the prison cafeteria, looking down at the cafeteria floor as a number of Echo soldiers moved the bodies of the deceased prisoners. The blood stained the walls, the floors, the tables--pretty much the entire cafeteria was soaked with bright-red blood. Johnson was gonna have a hard time to explain this one to Davie--especially now seeing the look of disappointment on his face. "Do you know how much we're gonna lose because of this? We're supposed to sell them--almost our entire 'products' are gone. How the fuck are we supposed to trade with San Diego? Smith-Franchise? Huh?" he suddenly shot out, turning back toward Johnson, who remains stoic. "We can take more from the woods. A couple of men saw a small camp not too far from here--we can take them." he calmly said, but in reality, he was just trying to say anything to get Davie off of his back. "What happened here?" he asked, not minding Johnson's suggestion. "They just randomly...attacked us. They threw shit at us, and made a desperate attempt to get up toward us. We had to do something." "How many survived?" "Thirteen wounded, around twenty got out before they were hurt." "Thirty?" Davie suddenly asked. "You killed thirty of our workload?" "Sir, with all due respect, we couldn't have taken the chance." Johnson finally said, leaning up against the railing. "I understand, Johnson. Just--go get cleaned up. I can take it from here." "Are you sure, sir?" "A hundred percent." "Aye-aye." Johnson said, saluting Davie, before hurrying off. Davie just remains on the catwalk--looking down at the number of deceased prisoners being dragged away by his soldiers...one of which, stands out to him most. Freddy's body, which is currently being hauled by a couple of Echo soldiers, stares dead-eyed at Davie. Davie desperately looks away from the sight--but his gaze returns. He can't help it. ---- Everything erupted into madness before Davie's eyes. His men turned on him--his people turned on him in a blink of the way. His right-hand men, Johnson, Freddy and Jared among them, manage to lock themselves in the prison--their last line of defense. A bunch of loyal Echo soldiers and civilians hide with them, and Davie's eyes are misty. His daughter is huddled in a corner with a woman, blonde hair--dark brown eyes, and Davie locks eyes with her. He can't fail them. He needs to make sure they're safe. He readies his rifle as a small number of Echo soldiers, Johnson with them, disband to go defend the back entrance. Freddy and Jared tilt the tables over on their sides, and a group of Echo soldiers station themselves behind them, rifles and shotguns ready. Davie quickly joins them, going beside Freddy, who gives him a warm smile. "What the hell is going on?" Davie asked, making sure to stay fairly close to Freddy. "Fucking--I knew this would happen. You wouldn't listen to me--my warnings." Freddy muttered, stumbling over his words. Davie knew exactly what was happening--he let out a loud sigh, and keeps his rifle in shooting position. Behind them, Jared and a group of young Echo soldiers tilt over another table, quickly huddling behind it. Jared looks around the table at Freddy and gives him a nod, which he reciprocated. As the distant sounds of gunshots and screams get closer and closer, Davie couldn't be any more ready. The group of civilians--his daughter and wife included--are escorted to the back of the prison, where a couple of elder men look determined to protect them. At the sound of another gunshot and a woman screaming--Davie can't handle it anymore. He couldn't stand here while his people were mowed down--innocents being killed. He stands up and hurries past the rest of his wall of soldiers, looking out the door...the rebels were coming. "Get back, sir!" a guard yells at him, and he complies. He goes back into position next to Freddy, who just watched him. "If we lose--get everyone you can and run toward Johnson, okay?" Davie asked, locking eyes with Freddy. "Yes, sir." Freddy said, his voice low, and almost depressed-like. "We'll get out of this, Freddy." he said, patting Freddy on the back. "You and me--like always." It's at that moment when we see the remorse in Freddy's eyes. And for that split-second, Davie realized what is going on as well. Before he can react though, Freddy grabs him by the neck and brings him to the ground--choking Davie. Jared watches from afar with the young guards he's station with smiling. Their plan was working. Then, the door bursts open, and the rebels come pouring in, shooting up the place. The loyal guards shot back, but were almost no match for the rebels who had help from the inside. As Jared and his group start firing from behind at the loyal guards, Freddy still has Davie in his grasp. He looks into Davie's eyes--sees the fear, the desperation. "I'm so sorry, brother." he said, his grip still locked on tight. But, Freddy's facade was slipping, he...he couldn't do it. Tears in his eyes, he lets go of Davie and as he desperately gasps for air--Johnson and his men return. They take the invading rebels completely off guard, exterminating them with ease. One by one another rebel dropped--and they needed to get the fuck out of there. Freddy looked back toward Jared and his group--but they were already on the move, making way for the exit. Freddy, in desperation, hopped to his feet and sprinted in their direction. But he's stopped when a bullet flies through his calf, and he topples to the ground. Davie, re-gaining his breath, sits up against the table as his men start to clear the area. He stood up, the adrenaline still pumping, toward the back of his prison where the civilians are huddles around someone. Seeing his daughter alone, covered in blood, was all he needed to know. He stumbled over to her, wrapping her up in a big hug--the little girl and Davie both crying now, as he gets a good luck at the cold, empty face of his wife. "Sir?" Johnson asked, approaching him. Davie sniffled, looking back at him. "Yes?" "What should we do with...them?" Johnson asked, looking from Davie to a group of rebels--all wounded in some way. Locking eyes with Freddy, Davie, even though he's feeling a mix of betrayed, guilt & sorrow...could only say what felt right. "Spare them--we have people we need to save." ---- Cameron walked down a lone hallway, the freshly painted walls stand out to her above all else. After all these years she's still unsure how they can keep up this act up...she knew this place was bound to fall. It has happened so many times before. She knows it's coming...and she sure as hell isn't gonna be here when it happens. Walking down the hallways--she's beyond nervous. Her touch chick persona now almost see-through--she's finally going to get her son back from Echo. At a price, yes, but family comes first. It is how she was raised, it's all she knows. "Sherry...?" a faint voice is heard behind her. Quickly tensing up and spinning around, Cameron is now face-to-face with Emma. Emma's eyes are misty, wide, her pupils larger than normal. Cameron relaxes, crossing her arms. "I'm going by Cameron now." she simply said, rolling her eyes. "So I heard." she said, puckering her lips. There's a past between these two...the eerie silence and the look of disapproval Cameron gives Emma is unwelcoming. "Anyways...there was a problem down in the prison. There was a riot--a bunch of prisoners were killed." Cameron's stoic expression fades. Her face turns red. She doesn't know what to say. "Is he--is he..." "He's safe, Cameron." Emma quickly said, and Cameron immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "But--that's not what I wanted to come here to talk to you about." "Then what did you come to me for?" Cameron asked, her voice calmer, but, there was still a sense of nervousness inside of her. Emma quickly throws her arms around Cameron, wrapping her in a hug--Emma's lips close to Cameron's ear. "Take care of him. He's a sweet boy...I didn't mean for any of this to happen." Emma whispered, before releasing Cameron, who simply nodded. "Thank you--for taking care of him all those years." Cameron blurted out, not taking her eyes off of Emma. "Don't thank me. It was all Brenda." she said. Just saying 'Brenda' sent chills through Emma's spine. "And...I think it goes without saying, I need a favor." Cameron rolled her eyes...she knew it was coming. "Yes?" "I need you to take in Nikki." Cameron sighed. "You know I can't just do that, right?" "I know--I plan on getting her to you. I'll sneak into Livingston and sneak out--get her to your place. Livingston and Echo--nothing good can come from this. Nikki will be safe with you--that's all I ask." Cameron didn't know how to respond. "Please." Emma pleaded. Cameron sighed rubbing her temples. "Fine." "Thank you so much." Emma whispered, tears going to her eyes. She didn't know why she was so emotional...but she couldn't help it. She lost her best friend, her relationship with her daughter...all in the same day. The two shared one last quick hug before going their separate ways...and as far as Cameron is concerned, that's the last time she'll ever have to see Emma again. ---- Jared, Adrianna, Cal, and Nikki all sit side-by-side at a bar counter. The four were beyond uncomfortable, but, according to one of the residents, this is where Nichols, Jared's guy, lived. Nikki, her head on Cal's arm, currently stares off into the distance, ready to just fall asleep at any moment. After the long day, she could use a good night's rest. And, with all that is going on in her mind, Mike, her mom's betrayal...she felt like she was about to explode. Just as she feels as she's about to drift off...the bar door slams shut, and, instinctively, she hops up, a small gasp escaping her mouth. She turns to the door, as does Cal, and they see a lone woman enter the bar. The only free seat being the one next to Nikki, the woman is quick to take it, and Nikki is too distracted by the loud noise to notice Cal laughing at her. When she leans back up against Cal, and the woman speaks to the bartender, ordering a shot of some alcohol beverage, Nikki finally gets a good look at the woman. She has long, silky black hair, she sports a pink tank-top and a pair of light blue jeans...but, for some reason, Nikki gets the feeling that she knows her. The woman, who quickly downs the shot, gets the feeling that she's got eyes on her, but, instead of looking up or at Nikki, she just scoffs. "You got something to say to me, kid?" she asked, her voice down yet threatening. The question took Nikki off-guard, and she turned back toward the bartender. "Oh, no I'm sorry..." Nikki nervously said, looking for an answer. "...it's just that you look so damn familiar." "Nikki." Jared quickly spits out, catching her attention from the end of the bar. "Shut it." No matter how threatening or stern Jared tries to be, it just doesn't work on Nikki. She's known him for too long...then again, she knew her mom for her entire life. "It's cool," the woman said, looking up at Nikki. "She must've seen me 'round here before or something. No reason to get your panties in a bunch...I don't bite." "I wish you did..." Cal quietly mumbles from his seat, only loud enough for Adrianna to hear, who subsequently hits him in the shoulder. "Yeah, that's probably it..." Jared mutters, looking from the woman to the bartender. "Hey, when is Nichols gonna be here?" "Any minute." he said, not shifting his attention from the drink he was pouring. Jared nodded. "Mind if we waited in his office? It's getting kind of crowded in here." "Don't care." "Okay then..." Jared said, quickly rising from his seat. He grabs his bag from the seat next to him and quickly walks off, Adrianna close behind him. As Cal helped Nikki off the seat, the woman at the bar watched them, taking another shot. After Cal grabbed the bags, and the two quickly went after Jared and Adrianna, the woman sighed. "Natalya, want another one?" the bartender asked, but she barely noticed him. She refused to take her eyes off of Nikki. "Nah, I'm good." she said, before rising to her feet. ---- Caitlyn lied in her prison cell fast asleep. Mike, in the bed across from her, lies still as well. After getting tortured by Johnson and his men, Mike has barely moved. Caitlyn and the others weren't sure if it was because he was dying--which they all feared--or if he was in too much pain to even attempt to move. Scott and Stacey, the two prisoners who helped Caitlyn before, sit against the back wall together in silence. There was nothing to discuss. It didn't take long for the Echo guards to clean up the bodies and double check the cells, and the two of them, including Freddy, got a look at a handful of the prisoners who died. It didn't take long for the two of them to fall asleep as well, and, not so long afterwards, Mike's eyes began to slowly open. He had a pounding headache--probably worse than when he was first brought into the prison. His ribs, his back...everything hurt. He couldn't describe it, but ever breath he took, every movement he attempted to make, was just as painful as the last. But, seeing Caitlyn asleep in her bed, Scott, or, the 'shaky' prisoner, as Mike knew him, and some prisoner he hasn't seen before...for some reason they reminded him of Nikki. He remembers clearly what Emma told him...Nikki was dead. The thought of it immediately makes him sick to his stomach, and he quickly turned his head opposite the others as the tears dripped down his face. He didn't want to believe it...but what else could he believe? "Nikki..." he silently muttered to himself, squeezing his eyes shut. ---- In a large office, Jared, Adrianna, Cal, and Nikki awaited for Jared's guy. Jared patiently watched out the window, for what, he doesn't know. Just for anything suspicious. Adrianna sat in a corner of the room, fiddling around with a pocket knife, just doing anything to pass the time at this point. She was bored out of her mind, not to mention tired, she just wanted to get his stupid meeting over with. Because of the lack of seats, Nikki sat on Cal's lap in one of the chairs, the two silently stare at each other, not sure what to say. Cal was still wary of this entire situation...and he's still not sure if he can trust Jared. And Nikki...she's still thinking about that woman in the bar. Where did she know her from? It's on the tip of her tongue, she knows she knows that woman...but how? Pulling each of them out of their thoughts is the sound of a door opening, and before they knew it, a man, early forties, strolls in. Jared turns toward him, a smile making his way onto his face, and by the looks of Jared, Nikki knew this must by Nichols. She rises to her feet, as does Adrianna & Cal, looking at the man, who locks eyes with Jared. "Jared? Well, well, well...this is a nice surprise." Nichols said, grinning ear to ear. ---- Mike now lied on the floor of the prison cell, his head rested in Caitlyn's lap. He hated crying...but he couldn't control it. His best friend...gone. His mother...gone. He lost everybody he has cared about--he feels as if the life is literally being drained out of him. Caitlyn, despite losing Freddy, her friend, she knows she has to be there for this boy. She knows that he's both physically and emotionally drained, and is just waiting to be killed by Johnson or his mean. She couldn't let him do it. "Mike, do you need to talk about...anything?" she asked, but he couldn't give her an answer, he didn't have the strength to speak, so he just shook his head, much to her disappointment. "Keeping it bottled up won't make it any better, y'know?" Mike didn't care though. He couldn't get Nikki out of his mind. Her lively and lovely face, the way she spoke, the way she protected Mike emotionally...how was he supposed to go on without her? The sound of the bars of the prison cell opening isn't enough to faze Mike. Not anymore. "Good news, kid." Johnson's voice echoes. "You're out of here." Those words, You're out of here, instantly pulls Mike in. He turned his head toward the prison cell where Johnson stood with Cameron. She looked very nervous, but sincere. She walked inside of the cell, looking down at Mike. "Mike?" she asked, to which he slowly nodded his head. "You're coming with me." Category:The Ones Who Remain Category:The Ones Who Remain Issues Category:Issues